Test everything everywhere [Design & Production Instrumentation]

WE ARE entering the era of total test: where things remain on test through their lifecycle and not just at the end of the production line to try to avoid failures in the field. Industries such as automotive and aerospace illustrate how attitudes to test have changed. Why? The high cost of product recalls and the increasing reliance on automation for safety. Stefan Singer, automotive field applications engineer at chipmaker Freescale, says the car makers are keen to eradicate component failures: "The trend towards zero defects is a big topic in automotive: customers have moved from measuring the number of failed parts per million to parts per billion."